Peaches Geldof reportedly died of heroin overdose

Peaches Geldof, daughter of Bob Geldof, at the European premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" in London November 14, 2012.
(Reuters)

Heroin likely played a role in the death of British model and television personality Peaches Geldof, authorities said Thursday.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate told an inquest into the death of the second daughter of Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof that a post-mortem examination was inconclusive, prompting further tests. In a brief hearing, Fotheringham said the results on the 25-year-old confirmed the presence of the drug.

"There was recent use of heroin and the levels identified were likely to have played a role in her death," he said.

Geldof's husband, Thomas Cohen, found her on April 7 after returning home from a visit to his parents' home.

"Thomas entered the property and went upstairs thinking that Peaches may have been sleeping." Fotheringham said. "Thomas then located Peaches in a spare bedroom and it was obvious to him that she was deceased.

"She was located on the edge of a bed with one leg hanging down to the floor with the other leg tucked underneath her; she was slumped forward across the bed."

Fotheringham said that even though Geldof had spent much of that weekend alone, she had been in contact with friends and family.

"All of the friends and family who had contact with Peaches during this period describe how she seemed her normal self and was making plans for the future, including booking a family outing for her sons the following weekend," Fotheringham said. "There was no cause for any concern."

The story offers a sad echo of the death of Geldof's mother, television presenter Paula Yates, who died of a drug overdose in 2000 when her daughter was 11. In her final message on Twitter, Geldof posted a photograph of herself as a toddler next to her mother.